Street-cleaning machine



i 1,630,719 y 31 1927' SCHROEDER STREET CLEANING MACHINE Original FiledMarch 4, 1924 WITNESS I INVENTOR,

oww/d -34 ATTORNEY.

Patented May 31, 1927.

UITED STATES ALBERT SGHROEDER, OF PIQUA, OHIO.

STREET-CLEANING MACHINE.

Original application filed. March 4, 1924,

This invention relates to new and usc ful improvements in streetcleaning machines, and is a division of my application Serial No.696,873 filed March lth, 1924;.

it is the principal object of this invention to provide in a streetcleaning machine, imirersal means for operating the brooms at an obliqueangle and for permitting their easy removal for cleaning and repair.

.in the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of the broon'iassembly. l igure 2 is a side View of one of the broom discs. Figure 3is a longitudinal, sectional view taken through the sprocket anduniversal means for driving the broom'discs. 11 i gure s. is an end View01. the same, with the polygonal shalt shown in section And Figure 5 isa longitudinal, sectional view taken through the outerend of theuniversal driving means end the bearing" therefor.

ic'ierring to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 designates abroom assembly housing which is quadrilateral in lon -itudinal sectionand which has, rhomboiclal sweeping opening Projecting inwardly 'lfromthe housingl is an arm 3 whose outer end is forked and boredto fit ajack shaft t for sliding movement thereon. Fitted on the shaft l withinthe forkedportion ot' the arm 3, i a sprocket wheel 5 whose hub portion(5 carries a radial pin '7 which is free to move through a longitudinalslot 8 formed in the tubular shaft 1. The sprocket wheel 5 is thus treeto slide on the shaft 1 while it is rotated by the latter to drive,through a sprocket chain 9, a sprocket wheel 10 mounted in a bearing 11secured to the housing 1 just beyond the arm (See Figures 1 and At itsinner end the jack shaft 4: is mounted in a bearing 12 secured toatransverse support 13. Secured to the support 13 a short distancebeyond the bearing 12 are two bearings 14, 14; for a dead shaft 15. (SeeFigure Slidable along the shaft 15 is the outer cylindrical end 16 of anarm 17 that projects inwardly from the outer part of the housing 1.Surrounding the dead shaft 15 between the end 16 of the arm 17 and theinner bearing 14:, is a helical spring 18, In the event the housing 1 iscrowded against the curb, it will be forced inwardly by the latteragainst the compression of the spring 18, since the arm 17 of saidhousing is free to slide onthe dead of the housing 1..

1 (See Figure 1.)

Serial No. 696,873. Divided and this application filed April 16, 1925.Serial No. 23,488.

shaft 15 and the arm 3 of it is free to slide along the jack shaft s.During this sliding movement of the housing 1 the rotation of thesprocket wheel 5 by the jack shaft l will not be disturbed, since thelongitudinal slot 8 in the latter permits a sliding movement of saidsprocket wheel along it to continuously drive the sprocket wheel 10 forthe purpose of actuating the broom mechanism now to bedescribed. 1

The bearing llis secured to the housing 1 in a position to bring thesprocket wheel 10 at an oblique angle to a shaft 19 that passes throughthe center of the sweeping opening 52 to a bearing 20 secured to theopposite side A (See Figure 1.) The shaft 19, which is preferablypolygonal in cross section, is connected to the sprocket wheel 10 by thefollowinguniversal means to accon'nnodate its inclination to the latter.Referring to Figures 1 and 3, the numeral 21 designates a driving clutchmember having a hub portion 22 which is received by a central recess 23in the inner face of the sprocket wheel 10. Although it may be of anyother suitable shape in cross section, the recess 23 in this instance ismade polygonal to receive, tor the purpose of driving it, the

polygonal hub portion 22 of the member 21.

Formed in the central portion of the member 21, which is of disc shape,is a polygonal hole 24 to conform to the. shape of the shaft 19 and alittle larger than the latter. It the shaft should have another "form incross section, the hole 2-1 would then have that form. Provided in themember 21 near its perimeter, are equally-spaced holes 25 that arepreferably four in number to re ceive the ends of an equal number ofrods 26 which surround the shaft 19. At their outer ends these rods arereceived by holes 27 in a disc member 28 similar to the member 21. (SeeFigures 3 and The holes 25 and 2'? are slightly larger than the rods 26to permit them to have a certain angular movement within the holes. Likethe member 21, the disc member 28 has formed in its central portion apolygonal hole 29 to receive the outer end of the shaft 19, than whichit is larger to allow said shaft to have an angular movement within it.(See Figure 5.)

The disc member 28 has a hollow hub portion 30 into which the outerendot the shaft 19 projects, and which is received by an annular bossportion 31 on the bearing plate 20 that is secured to the casing l byscrews 32. (See Figures 1 and 5.) j

Mounted on the shaft 19 beyond, and substantially parallel with, thedisc member 28, are broom discs Referring to Figures 1 and 2, each disc33 is provided around its periphery with a number of equally spacedreceptacles 34; for broom bobs 35. Any number of broom discs maybemounted on the shaft 19, and each one has afcentral hole 36 throughwhich the shaft projects. Near the hole 36 in each disc, and

equally spacedaround it, are holes 3T to receive the rods E26. Each hole36 is slightly larger than the shaft 19, and the holes 37 are largerthan the rods 26 to accommodate the inclination of those members to thebroom discs. Furthermore, there is an odd number of receptacles and aneven number of rod reccivingholes 37, the broom bobs 35 may bestaggeredto form the desired spirals. When the broom bobs 35 are rotated by thesprocket wheel 10 through the universal means hereinbefore described,they will sweep the dirt to the center of the street or road.

There may be any number ol broom discs 33 mounted on the shaft 15) toprovide a broom width that willrlean the desired swath. j. Greatflexibility is obtained by splitting up the brooms, with the result thatdepressions in the street will be swept clean by them. The broom discsmay also be easily taken out of the machine byremoving the endbearings-and the squared shafts.

The angulardriving connection which I i provide for the broom discsissimpler than a universal joint and requires less power Having describedmy invention,

1. In a device of the type described, a

so that.

for its ope 'ation. This driving connection is strong and flexible, anddoes not take up much space.

I claim:

housing, adriving men'lber therein formed with a central polygonal hole,a polygonal shaft which at one end projects at an oh lique angle intosaid hole, a member within said housing out of alignment with saiddriving member and formed with a central hole into which the other endof said shaft projects at an oblique angle, the driving member and thesecond member formed with holes around their central ones, rods receivedat an oblique angle by the holes in said members that surround the shaftre ceiving holes, and brushing means mounted on said rods and shaft forthe pur iose specified 2.111 a device of the type described, a housing,a driving member therein torined with a central polygonal hole, apolygonal shaft which at one end projectsat an obliquc angle into saidhole, a member within said housing out of alignment with said drivingmember and formed with a central hole into which the other end ofsaidshaft projects at an oblique angle, the driving member and the secondmember formed with holes around their central ones, rods received atanoblique angle by the holes in said members that surround the shaftreceiving ones, and broom carrying discs formed with holes to lit onsaid shaft and rods for rotation thereby at an oblique angle to them; ia

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 11th day of A ril,1925. v ALBERT S HROEDER.

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